1. Amoral Familism, Social Capital, or Trust? The Behavioural Foundations of the Italian North-South Divide
- Author
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Marco Casari, Stefania Bortolotti, Francesca Pancotto, Maria Bigoni, Diego Gambetta, Bigoni, Maria, Bortolotti, Stefania, Casari, Marco, Gambetta, Diego, and Pancotto, Francesca
- Subjects
Economics and Econometrics ,Economic growth ,education.field_of_study ,Social norms ,Experiments ,Questione Meridionale ,Italy ,05 social sciences ,Population ,A share ,Intrusion ,Incentive ,0502 economics and business ,Demographic economics ,050207 economics ,education ,Cooperation, Laboratory experiment, North-South divide, Trust ,North–South divide ,050205 econometrics ,Social capital - Abstract
We present the first laboratory-in-the field experiment on the Italian North-South divide. Using a representative sample of the population, we measure whether regional disparities in ability to cooperate emerge even if differences in geography, institutions and criminal intrusion are silenced. We report that a behavioural gap in cooperation exists: Northern and Southern citizens react differently to the same incentives. Moreover, this gap cannot be accounted for by tolerance for risk, proxies of social capital and 'amoral familism'. At least a share of North-South disparities is likely to derive from persistent differences in social norms.
- Published
- 2016
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